Adrián Annus
Encyclopedia
Adrián Annus is a Hungarian
hammer throw
er, who was stripped of his gold medal
at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games
in Athens
for a doping
violation in a highly publicized scandal. The disqualification received heightened attention, as it came on the heels of several drug scandals at the Athens Games and came as Annus' teammate, discus throw
er Róbert Fazekas
was also stripped of his Olympic title for a drug violation. The incident also received attention, as Annus refused for several months to return his gold medal, relenting only after the International Olympic Committee
put pressure on the Hungarian Olympic Committee and threatened sanctions.
and moved to Szombathely
in 1989. His first coach was Géza Annus, but joined Haladás VSE, the Szombathely sports club after his move. At Haladás Gyula Simon coached him, before Pál Németh
took over. His first significant result came in 1992, when he finished eleventh at in the discus throw at the World Junior Championship in Seoul.
In 1998, Adrián Annus finished eighth in the hammer at the European Championships in Budapest
. This strong showing made Annus a potential contender for a medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games
, but he was initially left out of the team due to stiff competition for a spot on the team. He eventually received a spot on the team due to an injury, but was not in top form to be a real contender and finished seventeenth.
Following the 2000 Olympics, Annus broke with his coach, Pál Németh, and joined József Vida.
2002 and 2003 were among his best years. In 2002 he won the European Championship
and in 2003 he took silver
at the World Championship. He also won the 2003 World Athletic Final. This achievement earned him the title 2003 Hungarian Sportsman of the Year.
. The International Olympic Committee concluded, that his urine samples—taken before and after competition—showed evidence of belonging to different people, therefore indicating tampering. The IOC also attempted to test Annus shortly after his competition in Athens, but Annus refused the test, which by itself warranted his disqualification.
The IOC never officially concluded how it was possible for Annus to provide samples that belonged to different people, but track and field insiders said he likely used a device, which included a container for urine and a fake penis and emptied the container into the testing bottle when required to provide a sample.
Following a rejected appeal and a hearing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Annus was banned for two years. Following the ban, Annus began training and started competing in 2007.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
hammer throw
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
er, who was stripped of his gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
for a doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
violation in a highly publicized scandal. The disqualification received heightened attention, as it came on the heels of several drug scandals at the Athens Games and came as Annus' teammate, discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
er Róbert Fazekas
Róbert Fazekas
Róbert Fazekas is a Hungarian discus thrower, who won gold in the 2002 European Championships and silver in the 2003 World Championship. He finished first in the 2004 Summer Olympics, but was later disqualified for failing to provide a drug sample, and the gold medal was awarded to Virgilijus Alekna...
was also stripped of his Olympic title for a drug violation. The incident also received attention, as Annus refused for several months to return his gold medal, relenting only after the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
put pressure on the Hungarian Olympic Committee and threatened sanctions.
Career
Annus grew up in GyulaGyula, Hungary
Gyula is a city in Békés county in south-eastern Hungary. It lies close to the border with Romania, on the river Fehér-Körös.-History:The first recorded reference to Gyula was in a document dated 1313 which mentions a monastery called Gyulamonostor . By 1332 the settlement around the monastery was...
and moved to Szombathely
Szombathely
Szombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
in 1989. His first coach was Géza Annus, but joined Haladás VSE, the Szombathely sports club after his move. At Haladás Gyula Simon coached him, before Pál Németh
Pál Németh
Pál Németh was a Hungarian sportsperson and later coach in hammer throwing.Born in Szentkirály, he was the son of athletics coach László Németh. During his own sporting career, Pál Németh played volleyball and basketball, both in the highest Hungarian league...
took over. His first significant result came in 1992, when he finished eleventh at in the discus throw at the World Junior Championship in Seoul.
In 1998, Adrián Annus finished eighth in the hammer at the European Championships in Budapest
1998 European Championships in Athletics
The 17th European Athletics Championships were held from 18 August to 23 August 1998 in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary.-Track:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Field:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Track:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Field:...
. This strong showing made Annus a potential contender for a medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, but he was initially left out of the team due to stiff competition for a spot on the team. He eventually received a spot on the team due to an injury, but was not in top form to be a real contender and finished seventeenth.
Following the 2000 Olympics, Annus broke with his coach, Pál Németh, and joined József Vida.
2002 and 2003 were among his best years. In 2002 he won the European Championship
2002 European Championships in Athletics
The 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany.-Track:1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |2010 |...
and in 2003 he took silver
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the World Championship. He also won the 2003 World Athletic Final. This achievement earned him the title 2003 Hungarian Sportsman of the Year.
Drug Scandal
In 2004, Annus was favored to win in Athens, but was stripped of his medal just a few days after winning, losing the gold medal to Koji MurofushiKoji Murofushi
is a Japanese hammer thrower. He has been among the world elite since the 2001 World Championships, where he won the silver medal. He was olympic champion during the Athens Olympics. In 2011, He was crowned world champion.-Career:...
. The International Olympic Committee concluded, that his urine samples—taken before and after competition—showed evidence of belonging to different people, therefore indicating tampering. The IOC also attempted to test Annus shortly after his competition in Athens, but Annus refused the test, which by itself warranted his disqualification.
The IOC never officially concluded how it was possible for Annus to provide samples that belonged to different people, but track and field insiders said he likely used a device, which included a container for urine and a fake penis and emptied the container into the testing bottle when required to provide a sample.
Following a rejected appeal and a hearing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Annus was banned for two years. Following the ban, Annus began training and started competing in 2007.
Results
- 1996: Atlanta, Olympic GamesAthletics at the 1996 Summer OlympicsAt the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 44 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 20 by women. There were a total number of 2053 participating athletes from 191 countries.-Men:...
, 28th - 1998: Budapest, European Championships1998 European Championships in AthleticsThe 17th European Athletics Championships were held from 18 August to 23 August 1998 in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary.-Track:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Field:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Track:1990 |1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |-Field:...
8th - 2000: Sydney, Olympic GamesAthletics at the 2000 Summer OlympicsAt the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
17th - 2001: Edmonton, World Championships2001 World Championships in AthleticsThe 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
9th - 2001: Beijing, Summer UniversiadeAthletics at the 2001 Summer UniversiadeAt the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close...
, 3rd - 2002: Münich, European Champions2002 European Championships in AthleticsThe 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany.-Track:1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |2010 |...
, 1st - 2002: Madrid, World Cup, 1st
- 2002: Paris, Grand Prix, 2nd
- 2003: Szombathely, Hungary, MAL Cup, 84 meter 19 cm - Hungarian record
- 2003: Paris, World Championships2003 World Championships in AthleticsThe 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
, 2nd - 2003: Szombathely (Hungary), World Athletics FinalIAAF World Athletics FinalThe IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the IAAF World Athletics Series and was the culmination of the...
, 1st